Aaaaarggghhh! problems with codec - please help

Hi, i am having nothing but sleepless nights sitting up till the wee small hours trying to figure out how to get a codec for an 'ms' file? i downloaded the f1 grand prix and I get pic but no sound... its in AVI format and when i open in quick time pro and request info it says the format is 'ms'. some where i read that you had to get a codec for this and place it in your /library/quicktime/ but that file doesnt exist on my HD either... pulling my hair out, please help!!

Ok great thanks... sorry to sound like a dummy but what do I do when I have downloaded it? do i need to place it some where or when i down load it will it just start playing sound?
thanks

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When it's downloaded just double click on the file that appears (it will be called Perian.prefPane or something) and it will install a Preference Pane in your System Preferences (it will be an icon at the bottom of the window). Once it's installed you don't have to open it again or anything, just watch the movies you want.

When it's downloaded just double click on the file that appears (it will be called Perian.prefPane or something) and it will install a Preference Pane in your System Preferences (it will be an icon at the bottom of the window). Once it's installed you don't have to open it again or anything, just watch the movies you want.

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Hey Thanks Ivan, so now when i open the file in quicktime it will just automatically play the sound? what about when i convert the file to mp4 to stream to apple tv... will it convert with sound then? what would you say is the best program for converting to itunes format to play on apple tv? sorry for all the questions its just am a little lost with it all!

Hey Thanks Ivan, so now when i open the file in quicktime it will just automatically play the sound? what about when i convert the file to mp4 to stream to apple tv... will it convert with sound then? what would you say is the best program for converting to itunes format to play on apple tv? sorry for all the questions its just am a little lost with it all!

thanks alot this has certainly helped. do you have any idea what could have happened the first time i converted with quick time pro? as when i watched it staight after i downloaded it the picture was so clear, then i soon as i clicked "convert to MP4" with QT pro... after it was done converting the picture was really pixelly...?

thanks alot this has certainly helped. do you have any idea what could have happened the first time i converted with quick time pro? as when i watched it staight after i downloaded it the picture was so clear, then i soon as i clicked "convert to MP4" with QT pro... after it was done converting the picture was really pixelly...?

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Every time something is converted it loses quality, so that may have been the problem.

If you need to play an MKV file, VLC or Plex will probably get the job done.

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Actually, the latest version of Perian supports MKV in QT Player. The recently-released 7.0 DivX also claims to, but I haven't tried.

This has been said many times in other threads, but it is also worth reminding that Quicktime actually has no trouble at all playing AVI files completely on its own--it's just that the current commonly-used codecs in AVI files aren't built-in to QT.

AVI, MKV, and MOV are all container formats. Each can hold any number of different audio and video codecs as well as some other features, depending on the format. It's finding those codecs that causes issues.

FLV and MP4 are, I'm pretty sure, also container formats, they're just *much* more restricted as to what codecs they can use so it's all-or-nothing as far as playing them goes (in fact, if memory serves, MP4 is based straight off the MOV container). Same I assume goes for Real files and ASF (usually has a .wmv filename) as well.

As others have said, though, the bottom line is that if you install Perian and Flip4Mac, Quicktime Player will be able to play pretty much anything you throw at it--I've only ever seen a couple of files it won't, and I deal with some rather esoteric Asian video sources on occasion.

VLC is an alternative, and it as well will play darn near anything you throw at it. In my experience it's slightly better with MKV on average and notably worse with WMV than Flip4Mac.

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